firehawk12
Subete no aware
They put them back in after Nise, but they're unsubbed.
Same with all the commentaries that they've since included on their disks, like with the recent Rebellion release. It's just so half-assed.
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Summer 2014 Anime |OT2| Or, where Jexhius finally watches more Doremi for Hito.
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Same with all the commentaries that they've since included on their disks, like with the recent Rebellion release. It's just so half-assed.
That's really really really stupid
If yakitate japan can get licenced so can denno coil :O
I can understand the complaints about their domestic stuff like Nise, but Rebellion is an import item; generally extras on those aren't subbed at all.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
It is!
Well, they're going to the extra effort of translating the booklet and I think subbing the features (I believe). It's just the commentaries that are untouched.
Deputy Dangle
Member
Ai Mai Mi - 1-13 END
The Lucas bit in the last episode slayed me.
Stuff like this is why I love anime.
The Lucas bit in the last episode slayed me.
The import items are exactly the same as the Japanese release, only with a translation booklet for any included physical extras. In the case of Rebellion, only the main feature is subbed.
Naisho no Tsubomi
aka The Sex Ed Anime.
I remember some talk of this a few years ago, but I never actually watched it. It's sentimental, educational and not that bad. It's more comprehensive than some of the stuff published in America, and done with a far more gentle hand. While working a story into things, too. The subject matter is definitely intended for a certain audience (more on that later, once I wrap up something else), yet that aside, I don't have much bad to say about it, other than being surprised that Naruhisa Arakawa, who I mostly associate with wacky comedy, was the one who was responsible for screenwriting this adaptation.
aka The Sex Ed Anime.
Meets Back to the Future. The show never says it outright, but it's pretty clear that was going on.
Femmeworth
Banned
Chobits Ep. 7
Oh god, please let this plot go somewhere meaningful. There's potential here and I can feel it, but I just know it's going to miss the mark. -_-
Oh god, please let this plot go somewhere meaningful. There's potential here and I can feel it, but I just know it's going to miss the mark. -_-
Ragnarsson
Member
Tokyo Ghoul - 8
I was really close to dropping this series. For some reason, though, this week everything clicked for me. I dunno what it was, but somehow this episode made me care about these characters and their ordeals. The pacing was great, the two battles felt meaningful... I just thoroughly enjoyed it. Never once felt bored. Hope it keeps it up.
I was really close to dropping this series. For some reason, though, this week everything clicked for me. I dunno what it was, but somehow this episode made me care about these characters and their ordeals. The pacing was great, the two battles felt meaningful... I just thoroughly enjoyed it. Never once felt bored. Hope it keeps it up.
Admiral Woofington
Member
Zankyou No Terror needs to give the backstory and goals of the terrorists ASAP. We're more than halfway in, assuming it's one cour. Even if not, it's due by now.
You'd best give up on any writing-related wishes for the series now, LOL.
I'm pretty curious about who the real writer of the series is now.
Femmeworth
Banned
Chobits Ep. 8
The resolution to the previous episode's plot was interesting. There's subtext to be read but it's not all that well defined at this point. Chi continues to develop and gain some autonomy, which helps lessen the ickiness of the premise.
The resolution to the previous episode's plot was interesting. There's subtext to be read but it's not all that well defined at this point. Chi continues to develop and gain some autonomy, which helps lessen the ickiness of the premise.
AquaWateria
Member
You should read the manga from the beginning after the anime finishes or or even before. Since the adaption skips so many important details and is rushed. Trust me as a standalone it's good but compared to the manga it's pretty disappointing. The anime seems more like a Shonen battle manga which the source material isn't. And them censors too. But that's if you like reading manga.
Admiral Woofington
Member
I'd say I would hope Watanabe had nothing to do with it, but he didn't write Bebop so it's not like his writing career would be tarnished in my eyes. Directing is fine considering the source material.
Coincidentally I now connected two and two on the writer for a lot of anime I enjoy and Cowboy Bebop. Not to mention Space Dandy
If I remember well, he didn't cut Senjôgahara's hair, actually. We still don't know who the first? second? girl was (I have a theory, but it's final season stuff).
We'll all be impressed when Watanabe reveals in the BD commentary that the entire script was developed by a highly-advanced random detective thriller plot generator AI.
astrogamer
Member
Locodol 8
A cute episode about getting Mirai to fit in the group. Nanyako is still very cute (both the running gag and the character)
A cute episode about getting Mirai to fit in the group. Nanyako is still very cute (both the running gag and the character)
I think the plot would make a little bit more sense if they did that.
Actually, the majority of the scripts have been written by the supporting writer of Attack on Titan and the supporting writer of Valvrave.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
I actually can't remember, but I just assumed since... well, they're the three with the hair changes. Although of course, there is the missing time in between... Nadeko would make sense as well.
Birth OVA(1984)-
http://sakuga.yshi.org/data/8243238282e22d65cf074856c6e8c517.webm
So going back to the actual OVA, it's an 80 minute chase film. It's really nothing much more than that despite some philosophical ramblings that only tie in on a superficial level to the main plot. It starts off with a boy finding a magical sword and is chased by a bunch of robots who want the sword as it can kill all inorganic 'life'. So organics vs. inorganics. In short, it's something like Mass Effect. Actually now that I think about it, the ending is like the
. Anyway the plot is mostly there to facilitate the animation. That said it is semi-coherent in a way that Dead Leaves isn't, and I appreciate that. I couldn't stand the juvenile tone and story in Dead Leaves yet here I somewhat enjoyed it. I think that's mostly because Imaishi always turns things up to 11 and so it becomes way too overbearing than what it could be otherwise. There's definitely some immaturish stuff in Birth but it never feels like it's overtaking the work itself. I do think parts of the OVA in the middle are kinda boring as the explosions kinda get old and the large mechs don't really do anything interesting. The best parts are definitely early on with the chase sequences as there is a lot of humor there and it's more 'fun' than the serious stuff later in the OVA.
http://sakuga.yshi.org/data/a1bf70cd8e8017c95b93a94b50b7505f.webm
Here's a quote by Miyazaki commenting on Kanada as an animator:
Kanada's animations have a certain energy and flair to them,and the word I would use to describe the animation is fun. It's just fun. There's a lot of technical aspects that comprise this such as the heavy focus on a tracking camera (another 'style' that does this is Itano Circus). The camera almost always follows the action in a dynamic manner by moving up,down, forward, and backwards to get the desired effect. I've been reading the Illusion of Life and while I'm not finished, I can see in this work the emphasis on proper staging. Exaggeration is another big principle as characters morph and change to help create more energy in the action sequences. Secondary action in the background work helps to facilitate this as well. It's all about making the animation pop out at the viewer and getting them engrossed, not so much on a realism level but an emotional one. I should really note that it's not just Kanada who worked on the key animations but great animators such as Shinsaku Kozuma and Masahito Yamashita (did part of the big episode 3 Kill La Kill fight) as well. So much of the OVA is straight up motion and everything is stylized, such as beams and explosions.
http://sakuga.yshi.org/data/2ad47f876f58fa55d72defdc69d17788.webm
All of it comes together to create these thrilling chases where the viewer is just marveling at the animation. I can very much see and understand why so many animators are enraptured with the style.
So this is an OVA that pretty much nobody has ever heard of, let alone seen. I can't blame them as it seems all versions you can buy in the US are out of print. The OVA has gone under a bunch of English names like Planet Busters, Birth: A War of Two Worlds!, and The World of the Talisman. It's not a well known title either critically or commercially and so has been left in the forgotten annals of history. However it's not only one of the first OVAs but also one of the most influential OVAs of all time. It's notably the 'masterpiece of Yoshinori Kanada, despite Kanada not actually directing the OVA(it was directed by Shinya Sadamitsu). Kanada is responsible for the aptly named Kanada School, a style of animation that is so pervasive in modern anime. The most famous example of a work done in this style would be Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Gurren Lagann flat out wouldn't exist without Kanada. Imaishi is a huge fan of Kanda's animation style and this can be seen not only in the shows Imaishi directs but Imaishi's own animation style. Dead Leaves is in many ways a successor, an inferior one I might add, to Birth. Kanada's style certainly doesn't end with Imaishi and can be seen all over Gainax (and currently Trigger) and in other studios such as Bones with Star Driver or Masahito Yamashita in Urusei Yatsura. Here is a great writeup on the Kanada School. Even in this particular OVA, you see people like Hideaki Anno getting their start as a key animator.
http://sakuga.yshi.org/data/8243238282e22d65cf074856c6e8c517.webm
So going back to the actual OVA, it's an 80 minute chase film. It's really nothing much more than that despite some philosophical ramblings that only tie in on a superficial level to the main plot. It starts off with a boy finding a magical sword and is chased by a bunch of robots who want the sword as it can kill all inorganic 'life'. So organics vs. inorganics. In short, it's something like Mass Effect. Actually now that I think about it, the ending is like the
Synthesis ending in Mass Effect 3
Something that gets overshadowed by the animation is how good the OST is. The music was done by Joe Hisaishi, of Ghibli fame, and reminds me a lot of the Tenchi Muyo OST back in the day. I mean listen to this stuff, so good. The music definitely has that old school vibe going on and I really enjoyed it, much more so compared to stuff like in Dominion Tank Police(although that could be acceptable at times). I do think the OST kinda kicked out in the late middle as there wasn't much music playing. I'm sure that was for atmospheric purposes but I still wish there was more as it really helped up the 'fun' factor in the beginning.
http://sakuga.yshi.org/data/a1bf70cd8e8017c95b93a94b50b7505f.webm
Here's a quote by Miyazaki commenting on Kanada as an animator:
http://www.pelleas.net/aniTOP/index.php/miyazaki_on_kanada said:
Kanada's animations have a certain energy and flair to them,and the word I would use to describe the animation is fun. It's just fun. There's a lot of technical aspects that comprise this such as the heavy focus on a tracking camera (another 'style' that does this is Itano Circus). The camera almost always follows the action in a dynamic manner by moving up,down, forward, and backwards to get the desired effect. I've been reading the Illusion of Life and while I'm not finished, I can see in this work the emphasis on proper staging. Exaggeration is another big principle as characters morph and change to help create more energy in the action sequences. Secondary action in the background work helps to facilitate this as well. It's all about making the animation pop out at the viewer and getting them engrossed, not so much on a realism level but an emotional one. I should really note that it's not just Kanada who worked on the key animations but great animators such as Shinsaku Kozuma and Masahito Yamashita (did part of the big episode 3 Kill La Kill fight) as well. So much of the OVA is straight up motion and everything is stylized, such as beams and explosions.
AsI mention earlier, it not just the character animation that is so impressive but also the background animation as well.
I should also mention the posing in that characters are positioned perfectly for the camera to take advantage of, in order to facilitate iconic images.
http://sakuga.yshi.org/data/2ad47f876f58fa55d72defdc69d17788.webm
All of it comes together to create these thrilling chases where the viewer is just marveling at the animation. I can very much see and understand why so many animators are enraptured with the style.
There are issues with the OVA such as the pacing in the middle-late section in that the OVA could be trimmed down by a good 20 minutes and it would have resulted in a much tighter work but as it stands, the OVA was a really fun watch. Considering people watch dreck like Dead Leaves, they sure as hell should watch this. It's had such a big impact on the animation industry that it deserves a watch just by those merits.
Ragnarsson
Member
I like reading manga, so maybe I'll give it a try. Thanks for the advice!
Aria: The Origination 4
Very good episode that began by taking Akari out of her comfort zone and had her working as a traghetto sculler for a day, working with three Undines she was unfamiliar with. The three she was working with were all facing the possibility of never becoming a Prima and they all handled it different ways. I liked Ayumi a lot because she had decided that working on the traghetto was was she genuinely loved doing and that she didn't care that working there primarily meant possibly never becoming a Prima or if working the traghetto was seen as a lesser job than being a tour guide.
This is also the first time the show has really dealt with the possibility of failing the Prima exam, something that had always been talked about but never seen first-hand. Not that that's going to be an issue for Akari since after episode 2 I'm pretty convinced that she's ready to take that next stwp. The other girls here seem to agree.
Very good episode that began by taking Akari out of her comfort zone and had her working as a traghetto sculler for a day, working with three Undines she was unfamiliar with. The three she was working with were all facing the possibility of never becoming a Prima and they all handled it different ways. I liked Ayumi a lot because she had decided that working on the traghetto was was she genuinely loved doing and that she didn't care that working there primarily meant possibly never becoming a Prima or if working the traghetto was seen as a lesser job than being a tour guide.
This is also the first time the show has really dealt with the possibility of failing the Prima exam, something that had always been talked about but never seen first-hand. Not that that's going to be an issue for Akari since after episode 2 I'm pretty convinced that she's ready to take that next stwp. The other girls here seem to agree.
Cool, I was wondering when it was going to come out. Can't wait to see more terrible CG dancing! Although seriously I'm looking forward to it. Even though I'm still bitter about them throwing a movie tease in the last episode.
Jex
Member
I pointed this out last week, it's just an inherent problem in the writing that undercuts the entire show. 'What motivates a character?' and 'What are the stakes?' are two pretty big questions that we shouldn't be asking half way into a show. You need to set that up early as a base upon which the rest of the show can be built upon.
Heck, you don't have to stop being a mystery show because you give away a characters motivations! Just look at LOST, the stakes are pretty obvious and you know why characters are doing what they're doing, and that's a show with a ridiculous about of obfuscated plot elements. Terror in Tokyo isn't anywhere near as complicated and yet the audience still isn't let in on vital information and as a result we feel detached.
LOST might not be a great example as it took a long ass time for the viewer to find some crucial stuff about the characters' backgrounds.
Admiral Woofington
Member
I just pretend the show is V for Vendetta with waifus and bishounen.
Jex
Member
That's not essential though. In the case of LOST the backgrounds of the characters are important but they don't inform the entirety of the main plot and what the stakes are. In Terror in Tokyo the characters backstories are literally everything.
Incidentally, at least in LOST, you get a proper backstory per character per episode!
Crash Station
Member
I'm not very familiar with Lost beyond the ending, but character backgrounds and whatnot can be left vague when motivations can be easily inferred. You're trapped on an island, so you want to get off the island. You're in a zombie apocalypse, so you want to survive. Stuff like that is obvious.
Here, you got two guys that escaped from some government facility as kids and are now terrorists because....? Are they trying to start a revolution? Bring down capitalism? Change the system (whatever the fuck that means)? Or are they just being dicks?
It's inherently more complex and directly tied into Nine and Twelve's back stories, which we are mostly ignorant of because it's played up as some big mystery. Now another number has been added and her actions are just as incoherent based on what we know.
It's almost as if these developments are more for the fictional characters and writers that (we assume) know the ending rather than the audience.
Here, you got two guys that escaped from some government facility as kids and are now terrorists because....? Are they trying to start a revolution? Bring down capitalism? Change the system (whatever the fuck that means)? Or are they just being dicks?
It's inherently more complex and directly tied into Nine and Twelve's back stories, which we are mostly ignorant of because it's played up as some big mystery. Now another number has been added and her actions are just as incoherent based on what we know.
It's almost as if these developments are more for the fictional characters and writers that (we assume) know the ending rather than the audience.
Jex
Member
Basically what cosmicblizzard said.
I've known of Birth for a long time, largely by it's reputation of being awful. However, your write up suggests otherwise so perhaps I'll chuck it on my backlog.
I've known of Birth for a long time, largely by it's reputation of being awful. However, your write up suggests otherwise so perhaps I'll chuck it on my backlog.
Terror in Resonance 7
So at least for the first 4 or so episodes this show was doing a great job at being at least somewhat realistic and plausible, and although the character motivations were shrouded in mystery, I figured they'd be revealed at a later point to at least make them sympathetic. Now we're at episode 7 and not only do we know nothing about the motivations of any character that isn't Lisa or Shibazaki (and given that they're the only two normal characters they're probably connected), we're also meant to believe that the government is totally okay with letting a teenage girl hijack an airplane and try to ram a bomb into the airport. If this isn't gaijin smash at its finest I don't know what is.
I don't really mind Lisa, her purpose has been fairly clear from the beginning of the series, although she's doing a pretty terrible job at giving the viewer any further insight into the plot. I am seriously wondering about Five. Why go so far to make the actions of Nine and Twelve seem plausible early on, only to throw in some Code Geass level mind game nonsense later on? At least watching Aldnoah Zero with its magical girl princess and Disney villains I have a vague idea that I'm not meant to take it seriously, but in a show like this it's more of a distraction than an asset.
So at least for the first 4 or so episodes this show was doing a great job at being at least somewhat realistic and plausible, and although the character motivations were shrouded in mystery, I figured they'd be revealed at a later point to at least make them sympathetic. Now we're at episode 7 and not only do we know nothing about the motivations of any character that isn't Lisa or Shibazaki (and given that they're the only two normal characters they're probably connected), we're also meant to believe that the government is totally okay with letting a teenage girl hijack an airplane and try to ram a bomb into the airport. If this isn't gaijin smash at its finest I don't know what is.
I don't really mind Lisa, her purpose has been fairly clear from the beginning of the series, although she's doing a pretty terrible job at giving the viewer any further insight into the plot. I am seriously wondering about Five. Why go so far to make the actions of Nine and Twelve seem plausible early on, only to throw in some Code Geass level mind game nonsense later on? At least watching Aldnoah Zero with its magical girl princess and Disney villains I have a vague idea that I'm not meant to take it seriously, but in a show like this it's more of a distraction than an asset.
Jex
Member
What I find most interesting about this comment is that the writing in anime is so universally bad that it can barely hold a show together even when it's within a medium that's so energetic. As you point out, most Monogatari shows would be fine with very little beyond voice actors reading the dialogue itself because the writing is so strong. As SHAFT don't really have any kind of ability to produce an expensive and flashy show this is pretty good for them.
In most anime, the reverse is the case. The writing in most shows is supported by: design work, colour, animation, visual storytelling (mise-en-scene, framing, editing, cinematography), music and voice acting and yet these shows still struggle to hold together on a fundamental storytelling level because of the writing. Even when the central plot of a series is sufficient, often the characterisation is not. It's the Achilles heel of both Terror in Tokyo and Aldnoah.Zero in this season alone. Why are there so few decent writers working in anime? Obviously because it doesn't matter, financially, to the producers in the same way that it clearly doesn't matter for Hollywood blockbusters.
I actually would like to read some reviews from back then. I imagine some of the complaints about the OVA are in part due to it being ahead of it's time, especially on the animation front. I've been reading some more modern reviews and I feel like I want to rip my eyeball sockets out:
Yes a five year old can draw this
http://sakuga.yshi.org/data/24f1063f6b04b86a576af1e18ec9c804.webm
I think it was fine for the first episode, maybe even the second, too keep us guessing what Nine and Twelve were after. There was sufficient suspense in the events themselves to sustain interest and curiosity. However, they should have followed that up by letting us in on the backstory of our protagonists, as its kind of vital if we're going to be invested in what they keep doing.
Instead they're trying to do this thing where "well, they're not really bad terrorists, see, they're actually trying to keep people from dying," and that's just completely unserious and illogical character writing. Their desire to make everything a big secret has led them into a corner where the basic plot no longer makes any sense from a believability standpoint.
It's also a misunderstanding of how to write antiheroes/protagonist villains. The way you get people to root for morally dubious characters is by making them charismatic and giving them an interesting philosophical outlook which can cause the viewer to question their own point of view, not by artificially writing them as "good guys" who are somehow able to blow up buildings without actually killing anyone. It's kind of sad that a really ridiculous show like Death Note understood this concept better.
Noted. thanks.
Nah back next Friday.
Yes indeed. In some cases night and day difference.
I dont see Kabuki on sale on rightstuf. Where'd you get it?
Hehee. Cant stop the BEAR.
You've got a great point. nobody expected Yakitate Japan to get licensed (I was hoping!)
The plot does actually but whether you will be satisfied with it is another thing.
I feel like establishing a character's basic motivations is such an intrinsic and important element of any dramatic narrative that some writers tend to overthink it. Like Lucas spending three movies trying to clumsily establish how and why Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader when three or four lines from an old Obi-wan did the job just fine.
I guess Terror in Resonance has a problem in that all it really has in terms of mystery is "why are they doing this?". I suspect they're avoiding revealing character motivations for as long as possible out of a misplaced notion that no-one will be interested in the story if the show's fabulous secrets are revealed to the audience.
If, instead of a TV show consumed weekly, it was a film watched all in one go, although it would obviously be about an hour or so shorter would that make the delayed reveal more palatable?
I really need to catch up on this show so I can actually discuss it
If, instead of a TV show consumed weekly, it was a film watched all in one go, although it would obviously be about an hour or so shorter would that make the delayed reveal more palatable?
I really need to catch up on this show so I can actually discuss it
firehawk12
Subete no aware
So it sounds like SyFy to me!
Admiral Woofington
Member
While the second part I agree on, I don't know about the charismatic part. I guess it's subjective but characters such as The Punisher, Geralt of Rivia, and even Kiritsugu aren't extremely charismatic... well maybe Geralt is. I mean maybe their point of view/ideology is seen as the attracting quality, but then that's a whole discussion of writing a character vs representation of an idea and whether we like the character or the idea. In fact what seems to make or break an anti-hero for fans is whether the audience member can put themselves in their shoes. Can I agree with the means if it gets the results, etc..
Also unrelated but I was tooting Korra season 3 in this thread earlier, it just ended and the finale was amazing. Anybody thinking of jumping onboard the ship, please do. Seasons 1 and 2 have moments they're really hard to get through, particularly season 2, but it's worth it for season 3. Particularly the finale.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
To be fair, when Shaft wants to do something with action, they can. It's just that the stories they adapt are almost invariably about people explaining things to each other. lol
But hey, I'm still good with random-ass backgrounds and framing because, once in a while, it's used to actually good effect.
As for other anime, it really is a toss up. You can't say adaptations are great, because that depends solely on the strength of the source material and the willingness of the writer of the adaptation to make the right changes. But original material isn't always great either. Just throw in the same tropes and hope the otaku lottery hits your numbers and your anime sells gangbusters.
I feel like SHAFT's complete lack of effort when it comes to background art and image compositing is a bigger problem than the actual animation per se. They usually have decent enough character art, it's the fact that said characters are often floating in abstracted digital voids that sets them apart from other cheap studios.
I imagine at this point the only reason for them to withhold their motivation is because they've built up their big climax around revealing it.
I just remembered how they destroyed a giant skyscraper and managed to avoid any casualties whatsoever. I take back what I said about it being plausible at the beginning, that part was far too dubious and probably should have been a good indicator of what was to come.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
I like the abstract nature of their backgrounds, even when used in a softer context like HidaSketch. Recently, I think Nisekoi is the only show where they have had to try to have realistic backgrounds.
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